Why it's better to finish the original game first

[edwvee]

I've finished the remake and here are my thoughts as a person who had played through the OG many times before.
If you are here for a plot and emotions then consider playing the OG first. I can't acquire the experience of playing the remake as my first SH2, so maybe I'm too biased, but consider.

The reasons:
1. It's shorter. So it makes you closer to the plot itself. The remake has too many puzzles and places to apply question items. It has too much combat. The story becomes quite veiled.
2. The remake has a lot unnecessary side stories in notes. They add almost nothing to the plot and to understanding of the inner world of James.
3. The remake has main characters redone in a very questionable way. Yeah, it's interesting and has potential to be said as a better one. But the original implementation is just more elegant.
4. And the main reason: in my opinion the final stage (I mean cutscenes and endings) in the remake gives less emotional response to a player. It's just poorer. Just less shock and tears, maybe.

[River Victor]

I agree and not agree with all of your points. They're all somewhat correct, but the points you've mentioned in the remakes all have upsides. Better combat, better map designs, intense bosses.

3 and 4 I totally agree with though. The Letter reading is just bland. Maria VA is the most problematic of them, as her delivery on Mary's emotional parts are lacking.

But I do like Angela. She's so afraid, on the verge of breaking. The way she fears James is just on point because SA is all she has ever known from her experience with men in her life.

[V I D A L]

The original aged like rotten milk. Unless you have nostalgia for it and had played it back then, (which was jenky even then) but it was graced for being some of the early titles for a new generation with great leap in hardware, it was easy to get excited for.

Playing for the first time in 2024? Nah.. if you've never played the original, it's too late. You're gonna hate it. Just play the remake.

The original is basically a comedy game now. It's just funny. The dialogue, the writing, the voice acting, the animations, the combat.. you get a chuck out of it instead of horror.

[edwvee]

Originally posted by River Victor:

But I do like Angela. She's so afraid, on the verge of breaking. The way she fears James is just on point because SA is all she has ever known from her experience with men in her life.

Yes, as I said they are "questionable". Not absolutely worse or better. I both agree and disagree about Angela. She is totally fine and totally a disaster. Her character is done authentic for her story, but it causes rejection. She's so clumsy and so detached from what's happening around. She's like a typical office girl with a strong lack of sleep and devotion =).

[Dadpool]

Also because playing a game by release date gives more satisfaction and makes you more happy.

[edwvee]

Originally posted by V I D A L:

The original aged like rotten milk. Unless you have nostalgia for it and had played it back then, (which was jenky even then) but it was graced for being some of the early titles for a new generation with great leap in hardware, it was easy to get excited for.

Playing for the first time in 2024? Nah.. if you've never played the original, it's too late. You're gonna hate it. Just play the remake.

The original is basically a comedy game now. It's just funny. The dialogue, the writing, the voice acting, the animations, the combat.. you get a chuck out of it instead of horror.

Disagree. It has aged fine. When you watch a black and white movie, would you be outraged by the color saturation?
For the combat and other things outdated, it doesn't add so much value. The game is short it's like a novel you can finish in one reading. 2-3 evenings or one night - and it's done. And you got all the spectrum of emotions and questions so fast. It's much better balanced in story/gameplay ratio. And later you would spend another 2 evenings to finish it on harder difficulty and get more answers.

[Shaelent]

There is no better way to finish a cult classic, both are recognisably good games from a beloved franchise. There shouldn't have to be a competition between which one is better when both can be appreciated for their own reasons.

[Large Tomatoes]

Originally posted by V I D A L:

The original aged like rotten milk. Unless you have nostalgia for it and had played it back then, (which was jenky even then) but it was graced for being some of the early titles for a new generation with great leap in hardware, it was easy to get excited for.

Playing for the first time in 2024? Nah.. if you've never played the original, it's too late. You're gonna hate it. Just play the remake.

The original is basically a comedy game now. It's just funny. The dialogue, the writing, the voice acting, the animations, the combat.. you get a chuck out of it instead of horror.

I agree with some of those points but disagree with others. The original was never scary, even as an early teen playing SH2 for the first time back in the day it wasn't scary at all. This remake is exceptionally creepy, the mannequins hiding in plain sight, the atmosphere, the sound design, everything just comes together beautifully.

Yes, a lot of older games like SH2 have the benefit of rose tinted nostalgia glasses, nothing will change that. But I cannot agree they are a comedy or have even aged badly. Once you get used to the controls you have an excellent game in the original.

[edwvee]

Originally posted by Shaelent:

There is no better way to finish a cult classic, both are recognisably good games from a beloved franchise. There shouldn't have to be a competition between which one is better when both can be appreciated for their own reasons.

This is not about which game is better. It's about should you play the OG first if the target is to know the story and receive related emotions.

[jfunk1993]

For point number 2, while some of the notes have nothing to do with James or mirror his journey, they do paint a picture of what is happening in Silent Hill. To the majority of people there things are normal, but they will occasionally come across people who are dealing with the Unreality bleeding into Reality. This gives the idea that while James is experiencing horrors, the regular townsfolk are going about their day normally.

[Large Tomatoes]

Originally posted by edwvee:

This is not about which game is better. It's about should you play the OG first if the target is to know the story and receive related emotions.

You are basing this on the assertion that the original pitched the story better than the remake, this is highly subjective. People who are experiencing SH2 for the first time in this remake are getting the same emotions you got when you played SH2 OG for the first time. You will never get those feelings back, at least not to the same degree. I believe both should be played but not because the original had better storytelling, instead because the two offer great storytelling and offer enough variance to warrant a double run.

[Shaelent]

Originally posted by edwvee:

Originally posted by Shaelent:

There is no better way to finish a cult classic, both are recognisably good games from a beloved franchise. There shouldn't have to be a competition between which one is better when both can be appreciated for their own reasons.

This is not about which game is better. It's about should you play the OG first if the target is to know the story and receive related emotions.

You've started off the title saying it's better to finish the original game first then gave your reasons for why the original is better. If you're starting off the discussion comparing the remake to it's original from 2001 then that's quite literally what the discussion is about.

Play the remake or play the original, both have the same story so it doesn't matter and it won't change anything for how the player views the story.

[Boody]

Originally posted by V I D A L:

The original aged like rotten milk. Unless you have nostalgia for it and had played it back then, (which was jenky even then) but it was graced for being some of the early titles for a new generation with great leap in hardware, it was easy to get excited for.

Playing for the first time in 2024? Nah.. if you've never played the original, it's too late. You're gonna hate it. Just play the remake.

The original is basically a comedy game now. It's just funny. The dialogue, the writing, the voice acting, the animations, the combat.. you get a chuck out of it instead of horror.

Hey, that's not nice :/

[edwvee]

Originally posted by Shaelent:

Originally posted by edwvee:

This is not about which game is better. It's about should you play the OG first if the target is to know the story and receive related emotions.

You've started off the title saying it's better to finish the original game first then gave your reasons for why the original is better. If you're starting off the discussion comparing the remake to it's original from 2001 then that's quite literally what the discussion is about.

Play the remake or play the original, both have the same story so it doesn't matter and it won't change anything for how the player views the story.

Ok. You are right that I think the OG serves the story better. But that is not the whole gaming experience. I also assume that gameplay is too obsolete for many players.

[edwvee]

Originally posted by Large Tomatoes:

Originally posted by edwvee:

This is not about which game is better. It's about should you play the OG first if the target is to know the story and receive related emotions.

You are basing this on the assertion that the original pitched the story better than the remake, this is highly subjective. People who are experiencing SH2 for the first time in this remake are getting the same emotions you got when you played SH2 OG for the first time. You will never get those feelings back, at least not to the same degree. I believe both should be played but not because the original had better storytelling, instead because the two offer great storytelling and offer enough variance to warrant a double run.

Sadly I couldn't be unbiased. So, accepted. But whatever, Mary's letter and the scene after defeating the final boss in the OG is much stronger.

[Large Tomatoes]

Originally posted by edwvee:

Sadly I couldn't be unbiased. So, accepted. But whatever, Mary's letter and the scene after defeating the final boss in the OG is much stronger.

I'm not judging here, I do the same. I always try (rarely successfully) to remember my experiences but in reverse. There are films or songs that I watch/hear and then find out there's an original version to it, so I go and watch/listen to that and find it hollow or lacking in soul compared to the remake. This is because my bias has been established on the newer version and the old feels like the impostor.